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TALLAHASSEE – Lawmakers trying to divide $1.3 billion in surplus cash haggled through the weekend over hometown water and education projects, health-care needs and hundreds of other dueling spending priorities. The Republican-controlled Legislature has already signed off on most of the biggest-ticket priorities, such as giving $500 million in tax cuts to motorists, businesses and back-to-school shoppers. But hammering out the finer points on a raft of other issues from higher education spending, springs and Everglades restoration, services for the disabled, school construction, and road projects have been dragging out behind closed doors all weekend. Meeting into the late...

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TALLAHASSEE – Lawmakers trying to divide $1.3 billion in surplus cash haggled through the weekend over hometown water and education projects, health-care needs and hundreds of other dueling spending priorities.
The Republican-controlled Legislature has...

TALLAHASSEE — House Democratic Leader Perry Thurston will ask his caucus to take a unified vote against the House budget in protest of House Republicans' decision not to include some sort of Medicaid expansion. “We’ve got meetings with our caucus a

Freshman Rep. Mike Clelland, the Lake Mary Democrat who upset former Speaker-to-be Chris Dorworth last fall in a district drawn to favor Republican candidates, plans to break with his caucus and vote for the Republican-controlled chamber's proposed budget.

TALLAHASSEE — Democrats will no longer be held to their promise to vote as a bloc against the House budget, Democratic Leader Perry Thurston said Thursday. “Today, House Republican leaders have unveiled a bare-bones health coverage plan for uninsured, lo

By William E. Gibson, Washington Bureau WASHINGTON — U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, one of President Obama’s most persistent critics, joined him for dinner at the White House on Wednesday night to talk immigration, the budget and a wide range of other topics. No

TALLAHASSEE — The Florida House has released its new Medicaid alternative plan, a low-cost insurance plan designed to cover low income individuals who don't currently qualify for Medicaid. The plan is available here. The Florida Health Choices Plus plan,

TALLAHASSEE — The Florida Senate passed its $74.3 billion budget unanimously Wednesday afternoon. The Senate budget has a number of big ticket items this year that were praised by both Democrats and Republicans, who control the chamber. Those include a

Some prominent Republican Party leaders are trying to clear the field for former Rep. Eric Eisnaugle in an Orlando-area House seat. Eisnaugle, R-Orlando, spent four years in the state House before stepping aside last year after he and Rep. Steve Precourt, R-Or

TALLAHASSEE — House Majority Leader Steve Precourt is taking a shot at House Democrats for voting against the chamber's $74.4 billion budget in committee today. The Orlando Republican notes in a press release that they voted against an increase in fundin

TALLAHASSEE — Former Dan Gelber campaign manager Christian Ulvert is the new political director for the Florida Democratic Party, We are excited to bring someone of Christian’s talent on board,” said Florida Democratic Party Chairwoman Allison Tant. “Chr

TALLAHASSEE — In a move inspired by Orange County's fight last year over paid sick-time, the Florida House voted mostly along party lines Thursday to block local governments from adopting their own stronger worker wage and sick-leave protections. The Hou

TALLAHASSEE — Halfway through a legislative session that has seen a rebounding economy, replenished coffers and a spirit of cooperation between chambers and parties, the gravitational pull of politics is taking hold. Put 160 elected officeholders repre

UPDATED: Former Republican Gov. Charlie Crist sure likes Democrats these days. Crist, once considered a possible GOP vice presidential contender, told reporters on Thursday that President Barack Obama is “exactly the kind of leader” the country nee

The Florida Democratic Party this week dropped an aggressive mailer attacking state Rep. Chris Dorworth, the Lake Mary Republican tentatively in line to become House speaker who may be in a tighter-than-expected race for re-election. The mailer – sent to Repub

In politics, if the poll numbers aren't going your way, you blame the pollster. That's been a running theme among Republicans who condemned polls showing Barack Obama with a growing lead over Mitt Romney (though those criticisms have quieted since Romney's str

The Republican candidates in Orlando’s marquee state House races continued to swamp their Democratic opponents in the latest fundraising period. Leading the herd once again was Rep. Chris Dorworth, the powerful Lake Mary Republican tentatively in line to becom

The Pew Research Center’s Forum on Religion & Public Life breaks down the Catholic swing vote in the 2012 election: Catholics are often identified as a major “swing” voting group in American politics.1 In recent presidential elections Catholics have made u

A new poll paid for by the Florida Democratic Party shows Republican state Rep. Chris Dorworth of Lake Mary in a surprisingly tight race. Dorworth, who is line to become speaker of the Florida House in 2014, leads Democratic challenger Mike Clelland 40 percent

With less than three weeks remaining until the Nov. 6 election, the Florida Democratic Party has yet to buy any advertising time on Orlando broadcast networks to promote Frank Bruno, the Volusia County politician who was once seen as one of the minority party’

U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson, whose re-election campaign has been virtually dormant (publicly, at least) for months, is revving up his”Florida First” tour with an appearance in The Villages tomorrow. The sprawling mega-retirement community is mostly known